Angel Oak Tree

Visiting the majestic live Angel Oak Tree on Johns Island took us about 30 minutes inland from Folly Beach, but the sheer size and twistiness of this tree, along with its rich and resilient history, was worth the trip. The Angel Oak Tree is estimated to be 400-500 years old and is a popular tourist attraction due to its impressive 17,000 square feet of canopy shade and massive tree limbs that grow vertically. Luckily the tourist traffic at the tree was light, so we took our time circling under the massive canopy and through the looping limbs and craned our necks upward to take it all in. There’s even a little potted tree next to the base of the Angel Oak Tree that is the “Baby Angel” from the acorn of the original tree. This is a very unassuming tourist attraction with no bells and whistles, just the natural beauty of an ancient tree living its best life. There’s a tiny gift shop where a majority of the proceeds go toward the preservation of the tree.